Infertility

Struggling with infertility
and miscarriage is certainly a great burden for couples to bear, especially
when they so deeply desire to have a child and live out their vocation to be
open to life and welcome the gift of children from God. It is important to
remember that despite infertility, couples "can have a married life that is
filled with love and meaning." (see Married
Love and the Gift of Life) As Blessed John Paul II has said, infertile
couples are able to be fruitful when their married love is "open to others, to
the needs of the apostolate ... the needs of the poor ... the needs of
orphans" and to the world. (John Paul II, Homily, 1982; quoted in Married Love and the Gift of Life)

The difficulty when one faces
infertility is that its treatment (medical evaluation, protocols, procedures,
etc.) must respect God's design for married love. "In an age of advances in reproductive medicine ... some solutions
offer real hope for restoring a couple's natural, healthy ability to have
children ... [while] others pose serious moral problems by failing to respect the
dignity of the couple's marital relationship, of their sexuality, or of the
child." (Life Giving Love in an Age of
Technology)

The Church, with sincere
compassion and empathy for couples struggling with infertility, offers guidance
and hope through her teachings on how to understand and approach infertility in
a way that reverences and protects the dignity of the human person and respects
God's divine plan for married love. As
the U.S. bishops affirm, "the male and female bodies are made to be able to
procreate together. When infertility is apparent, the challenge is to diagnose
and address problems so these bodies can function as they should—and there is
no moral problem in doing this, any more than there is in other medical
treatments to restore health." (Life
Giving Love in an Age of Technology)

Today, there are a variety of
moral approaches to treating suspected infertility. For example, learning how to pinpoint the
fertile window to maximize the chance of conception with NFP use is very
effective for some problems. "Hormonal treatment and other medications,
conventional or laser surgery to repair damaged or blocked fallopian tubes,
means for alleviating male infertility factors and other restorative treatments
are [also] available . . . these and other methods do not substitute for the married
couple's act of loving union; rather, they assist this act in reaching its
potential to conceive a new human life." (Life
Giving Love in an Age of Technology)

Below are several resources in
which the Church provides theological and pastoral directives on how to
approach the challenge of infertility in accord with the dignity of the human
person and with reverence for God as the author and creator of life.

Catholic Church Teachings

Documents of the Holy See

Catechism
of the Catholic Church 1997This comprehensive treatment of the Church's teaching
touches upon every facet of the Christian faith. While references to marriage and family can be found
throughout the Catechism, in order to understand Catholic teaching on infertility, it would be helpful to first read about the "fruitfulness" of marriage at: 2366-2372and the "gift of the child" at: 2373-2379.The subject of infertility and medical techniques can be found at: 2375-2377. A discussion on the immorality of artificial insemination can be found at: 2376. The suffering of infertility is treated in 2374.

Dignitas
personae (On Certain Bioethical Questions) 2008, Congregation for the Doctrine of the
FaithReleased by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, this document grapples with a number of bioethical questions raised in
response to modern technological advancements in the field of human fertility
and infertility. Using the principles of Catholic moral teaching,
the document brings clarity and truth to the debates surrounding both
procreation and genetic manipulation.

Donum
vitae (Instruction on Respect for Human Life) 1987, Congregation for the Doctrine of the
FaithPublished by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, this text
is the predecessor to the above document, Dignitas personae. Written
in the midst of significant medical innovation on assisted reproductive
technology, this document defends the gift and dignity of human life
(particularly in its earliest stages), against the onset of intrusive and
immoral scientific innovation.

USCCB Documents

Life-Giving Love in an
Age of Technology 2009, U.S. Conference of Catholic BishopsAuthored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, this pastoral
teaching on marriage and infertility brings Catholic moral principles into the
discussion on modern reproductive technologies.The bishops defend
the dignity of procreation, reserving it to the conjugal union of spouses. The
moral and immoral means of remedying infertility are clearly
discussed.

Ethical
Directives for Catholic Hospitals (Fifth Edition) 2009, U.S. Conference of
Catholic BishopsNow in its fifth edition, this document
provides instruction for health care professionals regarding the mission and
scope of their work. Addressing both pastoral and moral issues alike, the
bishops provide guidance on the standards expected of those in Christian health
care. The Directives include instruction on specific moral dilemmas
encountered in the health care field including those that pertain to human
fertility and life.

Resources for Catholic Couples

The Infertility Companion for Catholics, by Angelique Ruhi-Lopez and Carmen SantamariaRecently published in 2012, this book offers spiritual and practical support for Catholic couples facing infertility. To visit Ruhi-Lopez and Santamaria's website, Catholic Infertility Journey, click here.

Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities. "Life Matters: Reproductive Technologies." (2011) Available from USCCB Publishing. (email and ask Susan on 10/17 if we can just put the PDF version or bulletin insert version here)

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